Lurrien
by burakkichu
Summary: uh, girl poochyena gets caught by some trainer chick, doesn't like it, and runs away. trouble is, her friend's also been caught by the same trainer, and he goes with her willingly. doesn't sound like much, but the main char's got a bit of a mouth. ^^;;
1. seg one

i based this story off of the first few pokemon i caught while playing ruby. which, unfortunately, i won't be playing anymore. no time for it, really. i'll be selling it on ebay soon, lol. ^^;; but oh well, at least the characters live on in this story.  
  
enjoy. ^__^  
  
- burakkichu  
  
----------------------  
  
lurrien  
  
seg one  
  
Shoop! Into the ball I went. Stupid Zigg! Here I was, just minding my own business in the morning sun, and who should I bump into but this chick wearing all this red "Pokemon Trainer" junk--you know what I'm talking about. Those clothes and other gear with all the Pokeball designs all over them and stuff, making her look like she's something outta some Japanese cartoon fan artist sketchbook. They all look alike, I tell ya...like clones. Because of those dumb clothes. Anyway, so I hightail it outta there, 'cause I know those trainer clones are only after one thing--wild Pokemon like me. They've got one-track minds. Just like males.  
  
And of course, I'm not quick enough. Chick's got her super-powerful pumped up Pokemon trained to stomp out defenseless girls like me so she can sap me in for her collection, ya know? So unfair. But I deal with it. Besides, little Zigg wasn't as powerful and pumped up as I thought at first. I thought I was a goner when she slammed into me but it didn't hurt, much. I was still up and fightin' while she was sittin' there waggin' her tail at me. Well okay, she was Tail-whipping me, which stung a lot but didn't slow me down. But I wasn't putting any dents in her either. I'd just butt my head into her rib cage and she'd be like, "What? Did something hit me?" See? Super-pumped up! I didn't have a chance and I should've probably just run away. Dunno why I stayed butting my head against a brick wall. Stupid, I guess.  
  
And then the ball. Shoop! Now I'm sitting in darkness. Well, sort of. I can still kinda sorta see out, and kinda sorta hear. Chick's all happy now that she caught me. I'm sticking my tongue out at her and waving my butt in her face. Too bad she can't see.  
  
Well, was nothing better to do for a while. Just sat there and looked at the scenery of my former home going bye-bye as I was carried along on Chick's "Trainer Belt". She made it to the "Pokemon Center" not far from here, in Old Man Town. Yeah I know that's not the name, I'm not stupid. But that's what I call it. Or Old Age Town, take your pick. Anyway, she made it to the "Center", gave me and some other balls to this lady that was all smiles, and then I felt better. Just like magic--a few fancy lights and some beep-beeps and some bling-blings, and presto! I'm ok. Weird.  
  
Anyway, then Chick grabs herself a little table by a window, sits down, and starts eating lunch. Oh and she also lets all of us out of the balls. Poof, poof, poof, poof, and poof. There's Zigg. I'm still mad at her for being such a butt to fight against, so I don't even look at her. Wurmple's all crawling up on her table lookin' like he wants to be lovey-dovey with his newfound Trainer Chick. But she looks annoyed that he's hangin' his pudgy slimy self so close to her lunch, and she pushes him off the table. I'm amused. Maybe Trainer Chick's not so "Ohhh-I-love-Pokemon-so-much-they're-so-cute-and-adorable!!" kind of girl.  
  
Muddy's sitting on the table too, but he's calm, cool, and collected. Not trying to suck up. He looks confident. He must be super pumped-up. Trainer Chick's right hand lieutenant.  
  
And then, there was the other Pooch. His eyes met mine, and his smell met my nose. As soon as I saw him, I would've jumped for joy, and run all around in happy circles and got into a play tussle fight with him and licked his face all over, if I were the exuberantly happy kind of girl. But, I'm not, so I just said to him,  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey back," he said. "Fancy seeing you here." He wasn't the exuberantly happy type either.  
  
"Likewise, Pooch."  
  
Then we didn't say nothing else for a while. I think he could see I was lookin' a little glum. And when we get glum, we don't talk. Lot of pointless crap, tryin' to talk out the glumness. Gotta just let it pass.  
  
He and I used to play in the fields outside of Old Man Town, when we were little. And when we were bigger we still played, when the mood struck us. We hunted and foraged for food together a lot too, or we'd just hang out and watch the sun go down or watch the stars twinkle at night. We could've been mates and lovers, if that was our thing. But, it wasn't. So we're just buds. Good ones. Deep. 


	2. seg two

lurrien  
  
seg two  
  
"You two know each other?" Chick said. I paid no attention to her blather at first until I realized she was looking at me and Pooch. Then I was taken aback. She noticed? How did she know?  
  
Secretly, I was impressed that Miss Trainer Chick must've picked up on the subtle cues Pooch and I shot at each other when we first saw one another, but I played dumb and didn't say nothin'.  
  
She shrugged and turned her palms upwards, waiting for an answer. "Well?"  
  
Impatient little brat. I wondered if I was older than her. Not likely. Humans are kids longer than some of us Pokemon have lifespans.  
  
Anyway, Pooch nodded but I kept my game face. I coulda whacked him one. Planned on it too, soon as Chick wasn't looking.  
  
"Huh. Well. Nice to've caught two Poochyenas who already know each other, eh? You can keep each other company in case the rest of this crew don't like ya," she snickered, indicating her other three Pokemon. The others all shot weird looks at her.  
  
"I'm just kidding, guys," she said, looking away. I whacked Pooch one.  
  
"Ow! Whadja do that for, sister?"  
  
"And whadja tell 'er for, sister?" I call him sister when I'm pissed at him. Usually because he calls me sister first.  
  
"Why wouldja _not_ want me to tell her?"  
  
"Maybe 'cause I don't like her."  
  
He shrugged. "Suit'cherself. She's good kid."  
  
That stunned me. Something cold clutched at my heart. Pooch _liked_ this. He wanted to be Trainer Chick's handmaid Pokemon!  
  
I talked real slow. "What happened to you?"  
  
"Nothin'."  
  
"Don't tell me that."  
  
"Whaddya want me to tell you?"  
  
I couldn't say anything.  
  
"Give it a try," he said. "You'll see. It's not the end of the world. It's not like we thought it was."  
  
"I'm not gonna submit to being a slave-servant to--"  
  
"That's not how it is. Trust me, Lady."  
  
I wanted to trust him. For almost all our lives we'd been friends. He wasn't stupid.  
  
But...  
  
Our love of the wild freedom had been our bond and our treasure. We'd sworn to each other that if either of us were ever captured by a trainer clone, we'd escape and make our way back to the wilds where we lived. We'd _promised_ each other! And now I finally know where he's been for the past few days. Under the service of Trainer Chick. Influenced by her trainer-clone, pokemon-are-here-to-serve-humans ideas. Possibly. Maybe not. Like I said, he wasn't stupid. I wanted to believe that he must've decided on his own that it wasn't so bad after all, like he was telling me. I wanted to trust him.  
  
But...  
  
I just shut up. And looked away. He didn't say anything else to me, for now. 


	3. seg three

lurrien  
  
seg three  
  
Well, so long as I was here anyway, figured may as well get to know the new faces. Pooch jumped on top of the table where Chick was eating her lunch, so I jumped up too. He respectfully kept his distance, not like lovey-dovey Wurmple. I resentfully kept mine.  
  
"In a tiff, huh?" Chick said to us, not even looking up. "You guys aren't mates having a spat, are ya?"  
  
We both growled at her fiercely.  
  
She looked up at us and grinned. "Heh! I guess not. So...you need a name," she said, now looking only at me.  
  
I didn't like the look in Chick's eyes, so I glanced over to Pooch. He had that same look. I flattened my ears. What was wrong with the name I already had?  
  
_My name's Lady,_ I barked at her. Of course, she couldn't understand me. To her it sounded like, "Poochyena."  
  
"You say you've already got one, huh?" she said.  
  
What??  
  
That really gave me a start. Surely she hadn't understood what I just said. No human could've. But here I was, all of a sudden finding myself stunned and baffled by this little pipsqueak of a human girl. I didn't know what to say or think, so I just froze.  
  
"Well, I'd love to know what it is, but I could probably never pronounce it, what with me only having human vocal chords and all," she went on. "But I'd love to give you a name, from me. A human girl. How wouldja like that?"  
  
I wouldn't have liked it at all, thank you. But I couldn't think of what to say. Still frozen.  
  
"You're speechless, I see," she said, grinning again. "Well, I'll try to make it a good one. Lessee...um..."  
  
And then she went into a voodoo trance for like, five minutes. Okay, not really voodoo. She just spaced out. And it wasn't really five minutes. It was just this eerie, uncomfortable silence while I waited for her to pronounce doom on me with the speaking of her human-given name for me. I'd already decided that she really hadn't heard me after all. Or she wouldn't have had to go through this picking-a-name crap. She'd just call me Lady.  
  
"How about...Lurrien?"  
  
I flattened my ears again. Loor-ee-inn??  
  
"Yeah...Lurrien's good," she said to herself, looking me over. Apparently she didn't notice my flattened ears.  
  
"Sorry, I know it's not your real name," she went on. "I don't think you'd like any name I picked, probably. You seem like that kind of a Pokemon." And she ended with a wink, but I heard a touch of sympathy in her vocal patterns. She was right. I wouldn't have liked any name she'd given me. I just didn't want her to "name" me, period.  
  
And...somehow...she knew. She was even sorry about it--I heard it in her voice.  
  
But...how did she know??  
  
She'd done it again. Stunned me. Did she really know what I was thinking? Or was she just a really good guesser?  
  
"Well Lurrien, I'm Kezhaly," Trainer Chick said. "Nice ta meetcha!"  
  
Kezhaly, huh? I think I liked the name Chick better. Well, Chick offered out her paw--I guess you humans call 'em hands--and held it out to me like as if she wanted to shake. I just stared at her paw and didn't move. What'd she expect me to do? Shake back and then roll over for her and let her rub my belly? Psh, likely.  
  
"Well I'll settle for a pat on the head then," she said at last, and just ran her paw through my forehead fur. With no warning at all! Startled me and pissed me off at the same time, but I didn't react. Didn't see any reason to...just yet.  
  
"Anyway, you guys already know each other I know, but this is Kapquety," she said, indicating Pooch. Kap-kett-ee?? Sounded even dumber than Loor-ee-inn. Poor guy. I woulda laughed at him if I weren't stuck in the same boat with Miss Trainer Chick Of The Dumb Names.  
  
"And that's Chadras," she continued, pointing to the cool as cream cheese Muddy Lieutenant on the table with us, "and Rondo," she said to the Wurmple on the floor, "and Jiyrelle!" she finished, introducing the Zigg. Zigg shot me a friendly look. I shot her a dirty look. Wish I coulda shot her with a grass spitball instead. No nearby grass in the "Center" to pluck off and chew.  
  
And then, just when it seemed like she'd run out of junk to say, Chick said, "And that's my team. Welcome to it!" while wearing this slightly bemused smirk on her face, the kind that says, 'Don't take me too seriously'. So I didn't. But I did give her my best I-don't-care stare in return. Meanwhile, she kept going. "Someday we may be big and strong and famous and everything, and have lotsa money, and go on tours and show people our Pokemon moves on TV....pshhh! Yeah, right. Like as if that'll ever be me." She cut off a bite of food with her fork and scooped it up, then pushed it into her mouth and continued talking while she chewed. "I don't care, really, if we're famous or not. I just wanna have fun." Gulp. "I don't even like those famous people sometimes." She picked up a cup with a straw poking out the top and put the straw to her lips, then put the cup back down when she'd drank enough. "They're so snotty, and they treat their Pokemon all weird."  
  
And that was all she said. Chick's little diatribe on her philosophy of being a trainer clone. Would've gone in my one ear and out my other, if I hadn't noticed something weird myself, about how quiet she'd gotten after she quit talking. Real quiet. Just sitting there staring out the window. I saw her eyes. They were focused on something far away, but I knew she wasn't looking at anything she could see out that window. 'Cause I knew that look. Same look I'd seen in Pooch's eyes while he was looking at the stars in the night sky, when I knew he wasn't stargazing. In spite of myself...I wondered what Trainer Chick was thinkin' about. 


	4. seg four

lurrien  
  
seg four  
  
But that only lasted for a moment. Pushed it outta my head. Just a wild hare. Stray thought. Chick didn't mean anything to me.  
  
I turned away and glanced at Pooch. He was still staring at Chick. I turned away from him too. What was I doing here? This was getting pointless. And I felt like I had lost a friend. Or, losing him, anyway. Losing him to Chick's seductive power. He was already eating out of her hand, the pup-sucker.  
  
I decided it was time for me to go. Goodbye Trainer Chick. Goodbye Pooch, I'll try to keep an eye out for ya, in case you ever decide you've had enough of this. Goodbye other pumped-up Pokemon, except for you, Zigg. Maybe I'll come back and kick _your_ butt someday.  
  
But then somethin' nuzzled me, on the shoulder. Or someone. It was Zigg. She was looking at me with friendly eyes and a friendly face. "Hey, no hard feelin's about our scrap out there in the wild, huh?" she said to me. She had the voice of a female jock. Kinda like the ones who're used to kicking their friends' butts and calling it all in fun.  
  
I dunno why I actually stopped and listened to her. Being polite, I guess. Or just stupid. Politeness _is_ stupidity, sometimes. But I said, "I guess. 'M not much of a fighter."  
  
"Aw, don't worry about it! You'll get better!" she said back, winking at me. Don't know what the wink was for. Maybe she was trying to flirt with me. "There'll be plenty of chances for ya t' sharpen yer skills in _this_ crew, I tell ya!"  
  
And whoever said I was sticking around? I almost said that out loud. But I didn't respond. I just got ready to jump off the table.  
  
Then I noticed something in my way. Lovey Wurmple. He was on the floor below me, right smack in my jumping path. "Hiya! My name's Rondo! How are ya?" he said.  
  
About to jump on you. "Busy," I said. Instead I just adjusted my path so that I landed dangerously close to his head.  
  
"Hey!" he yelped, and at first I thought I had successfully gotten on his nerves until he added, "Where ya goin'?" as I walked away. Wasn't gonna say anything, I was just making a beeline for the door. But then Pooch spoke up.  
  
"Where ya goin', Lady?"  
  
I turned. He was looking down at me from the table. "Anywhere but here. See ya."  
  
Muddy didn't say nothin'. Just looked at me with those beady black lieutenant eyes of his. Zigg on the other paw, she was all surprised and shocked. "You're leaving?" she blurted. I answered her by scooting myself out the door.  
  
Next thing I know, my ears are picking up some commotion from back inside. Chick says something like, "Hey, where'd Lurrien go?" Then I hear the voice of the lady behind the counter say something, and Trainer Chick answers, "Yeah, my Poochyena." Then the voice of the lady again, something about "out the door." Crap. Any second now she'll be running out here after me. I skedaddle.  
  
Humans are easy to evade. They rely too much on their eyes to find things, and it ain't hard to trick their eyes or stay out of sight. Chick was no exception. She burst out of the Center and glanced this way and that, then hurried straight ahead calling out that funky name of hers for me, while I watched her from inside a thicket some distance to her left. See? Easy. I quit the thicket and headed in the opposite direction to find me another hiding place, just in case. The only way she would've stood a chance of finding me now would've been if she'd sent her Pokemon cronies after me.  
  
Which, she did.  
  
Zigg found me underneath a dumpster behind the Center. I growled at her soon as I saw her beady eyes looking into mine.  
  
"Get away! Leave me alone!"  
  
"What're ya doin', Lurrie? Kez is lookin' for ya!"  
  
"What's it look like I'm doing?" She already had a nickname for my non-name?? Total cronie jock-head.  
  
Zigg didn't say anything. I could see the wheels turning in her brain, but nothing was coming out. Didn't figure her for being stupid, but I certainly couldn't see any signs that she was catching on.  
  
Meanwhile, I was backed in a corner. Dumpster was in a little nook surrounded by brick wall on three sides. Zigg was in between me and the open end. So I said, "Look, just go away and pretend you never saw me, okay?"  
  
"C'mon Lurrie, come on outta there. Kez'll be worried."  
  
She sounded absolutely earnest. Poor girl, lost in cronie-land. "I ain't goin'!" I hissed. "Is that too hard for you to understand?"  
  
"Well...Kez sent me to find ya, and I found ya. So I ain't movin' either!" Though unlike me, she was smiling. She was having a ball with this.  
  
I glared at her. Her eyes were sparkling with delight. Made me madder. I tried one last time. "Go away or I'm gonna kick your butt!" I said through clenched jaws. Wasn't no idle threat. Though I doubted I could make good on it. She was still better-trained than me.  
  
Her jaw flopped open and she like, coughed as if she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Aw, there's no need to be like that!" she grinned, sounding all shocked and amused at the same time. "We're on the same team now!"  
  
Whatever.  
  
I let her have it. Charged right out of my hidey-hole and barreled into her, roughing her up with my teeth and claws like mad before breaking away and trying to make a run for it. So okay, it turned out to be an idle threat after all. A diversionary surprise tactic instead of a butt-kicking. Just enough for me to get past her without trying to mix it up something serious, 'cause I knew I would've lost. Strange thing was, I thought it would've been harder than that to break past her. But she didn't put up any resistance. She just let me run her over. It didn't make sense...but I didn't bother with trying to figure it out. I just ran.  
  
A quick look around...not a sign of Trainer Chick's Pokemon. I darted into a patch of nearby woods. Zigg was bound to come after me, I was sure. Pokemon are harder to evade than humans. Stupid scent. Gives me away. Still, I tried to lay low in hopes that she wouldn't come after me. But she came outta that dumpster nook and picked up my trail, just like that. She was making a beeline for me. I turned and darted deeper into the woods. I could lose her in these trees, I knew. 'Cause I grew up here. I knew all the tricks and trails and hiding places of these woods, as well as some tricks for throwing her off my scent trail. She'd never find me.  
  
But I didn't think about it until right then, that maybe she knew these woods too. For all I know she could've grown up here, just like me. Plenty of Ziggs around this neck o' the woods.  
  
For whatever reason though, she didn't follow. Guess I just got lucky. Last I heard of her was her wailing out, "Lurrie!! Lurrie, where ya goin'?!" like an older sister callin' out to a subordinate sibling. Which I hated that kind of condescending tone. I wasn't inferior to her. 


	5. seg five

lurrien  
  
seg five  
  
After laying low a few minutes, I circled back to see what Trainer Chick and her pokies were up to. Pooch was still in her grip after all, and I had meant it when I told myself I'd keep an eye out for him.  
  
Keeping hidden, I spotted Chick and her pokies gathered around her, and she and Zigg and Wurmple-Boy were looking all sad and defeated. Made me glad to see that. I was feeling proud of having gotten away, and of having outmaneuvered the bunch of them so easily. Pooch, though, was looking around this way and that, staring. As if he suspected to see me if he just looked around long enough. I kinda wondered if he suspected that I was spying on them all right now. And Muddy...he looked like he couldn't have cared less about the whole thing. Maybe he had "perspective".  
  
Just catch yourself another girl Poochyena, Chick. And leave me the bleep alone.  
  
Started wondering how I was gonna keep an eye on Pooch after all. Chick could wander anywhere, and unless I tagged her in secret all day long, I wouldn't know where she'd gone. But I wasn't about to make a career outta following her scent trail.  
  
Wouldn't have to think about it for a while, though. Looked like she was planning to put up for the night here at the P.C. in Old Age. 'Cause she went back inside, dragging along her cronies with her, and then some time later came back out dressed all different. She'd traded her Trainer Clone monkey suit for a light pastel-green shirt and some black shorts that went down to her knees. And she was also minus the bandana, so her hair was down. In other words, she looked like a normal human being.  
  
Muddy, Zigg, Pooch, and Wurmple-boy were all with her, and in a group they all headed toward the woods, walking away from me. Time for me to go for a while. I had a life to get back to, and I was gettin' hungry. 


	6. seg six

lurrien  
  
seg six  
  
Some life. Was pretty boring without Pooch. Not that we hung together all the time, but we could if we wanted to. I never thought about it before, but it was almost like a balance. Some time with Pooch, some time on my own. Worked out great. Now all I had was time on my own. No balance. Just a one-sided life. Wasn't any fun.  
  
Before you say anything about, "Well, why dontcha just go and make some new friends?" lemme tell ya somethin'. Most Pokemon I meet make my fur crawl. They're stupid. Or they're petty. Or they're obsessed with finding a mate. Or they're out to suck your blood, pound you senseless, call you nasty names, or otherwise generally abuse you. In other words, they suck. Pooch though, he's cool. At least...he used to be.  
  
And before you say anything about, "Well, SOMEONE just needs an attitude adjustment, then!" lemme tell ya somethin' else. Go play on the highway and get hit by a truck, please.  
  
By now it was the middle of the night and it looked like everyone in the P.C. was sleepin'. These things were supposed to be open 24 hours, though...in case of emergencies from stupid Trainer Clone Kids training their Pokeslaves at night and getting them pasted. So I saw a little light on in the lobby, through the glass front door. Didn't matter. I wasn't going in the front door, anyway.  
  
I came up on the side of the P.C., looking for windows. There were some on the second floor. Even teeny little P.C's like these usually had places upstairs where wandering Clones could stay for the night. I started calling, in little high-pitched whistling-chirping sounds. It was almost like a bird-call, something Pooch and I made up to find each other when we got separated. I sat down and made myself comfortable, figuring I might have to keep calling for a while before he responded. It was only a matter of time.  
  
And actually, it turned out to be less time than I thought. I couldn't have been calling for more than a minute or so before I saw a furry head poking out of one of the windows. Looked like Pooch, but it was too dark to see. Moon was shining down on the other side of the P.C., so we were in the shadows.  
  
Furry Head called back, same call. It was Pooch all right. Only trouble was...he was up there, and I was down here. I told him so.  
  
"Come on down here!" I whispered loudly, but not too loudly, not wanting to wake up anything else inside.  
  
"Come on up here!" Pooch loud-whispered back. I could've punched him. Right now I didn't feel like arguing over who was gonna move their lazy butt first.  
  
"All right, why don't we just meet somewhere in the middle?!" I sassed, noticing the sheer flat wall in between his window and the ground.  
  
"If you want. But I don't think we'll be able to stand there very long."  
  
On the inside, I laughed. Okay, so he was still cool. If only I could understand why he had allowed himself to become a trainer slave.  
  
"Okay. I don't wanna whisper loudly all night long! I wanna talk to ya face to face."  
  
"So come on up!"  
  
"I'm not going in there!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
I stared coldly at him with my best You Are A Froot Loop And Don't Know It stare.  
  
"You oughta see this place."  
  
"I just wanna see you."  
  
"I dunno if I can leave."  
  
Ah, at last he was relenting. "Just tell your owner you had to go potty!"  
  
He paused, seeming to consider it. But then he attached a string. "Hey, if I go down there, you gotta promise to come up here afterwards."  
  
I was annoyed. "What for??"  
  
"'Cause." And then he darted out of the window before I could say anything.  
  
"I'm not--hey! I didn't promis--" but it was too late. The window had gone dark. But if he expected me to go back in that building with him after he came out here, he had a cuff to the ears coming. I didn't promise anything, and I wasn't setting a paw in Trainer Clone territory. 


	7. seg seven

lurrien  
  
seg 7  
  
I peeked around the corner of the P.C. Little patch of light was on the ground in front of the glass doors. Dang, these Nurse Jokeys stay up late. Musta been past midnight by now. They must work in shifts or something, them and all their identical mutant clones. Just like trainers. It's a whole system, and it sucks.  
  
Pooch was coming now. Little shadow crept up from the edge of the patch of light, gettin' bigger and eventually bounding out the doors. As he rounded over my way I ducked back behind my corner, pretending not to be anxiously waiting for him. Despite the fact that I missed him badly. I could feel it when I first saw him up in that window. But I wasn't about to let _him_ know that.  
  
And don't _you_ go off gettin' the wrong idea either, Mister or Miss I-Smell-A-Sappy-Love-Story-Here Reader. I told you before, I have no interest in him as a mate. He's just my friend. My best one, though. And my only one.  
  
"Hey Lady, long time no see!" Pooch said, grinning like a goof at his own joke.  
  
I stuck my tongue out at him and spat him a raspberry. "You'd better not be making me come up there afterwards, Pooch. 'Cause I'm not goin'."  
  
"Aw, c'mon, why not?" he whined. Dang, I hate whining.  
  
"'Cause. I said so."  
  
"You don't know what'cher missin'. It's really cool."  
  
"How cool can it be?? It's just some dinky little crap-ass P.C. in a tiny podunk town in the middle of nowhere!"  
  
"Crap-ass?" he smiled, giving me a funny look. "That's a new one."  
  
"Shut up," I laughed. Yeah I just made that up, but so? I could've said worse things.  
  
Then we greeted each other, formally. Touched noses and brushed across each others' flanks. Poochyena equivalent of a hug. 'Cept it means a little more coming from a pokie.  
  
We horsed around for a bit. Play tussle fights, chasing after bugs with wings, racing around here and there. It was like we were burning up puppy energy or something. I dunno. I for one certainly felt glad to be hanging out with him tonight. But I could tell that he was looking a little tired before long. I could smell it.  
  
"Long day?" I said, panting and somewhat breathless after all the running around.  
  
"Yeah," Pooch replied, panting likewise. "Lotta training."  
  
I felt my mood starting to sour. Reality was checking back in. Yeah, I probably could've just gone on with the rest of the night without saying anything, but it had been nagging at me all day, and I've never been one to put reality aside for the sake of pleasantries.  
  
"Pooch, what're we gonna do?" I said, my voice lowering itself a little.  
  
"Whaddya mean?"  
  
"I mean are we gonna hafta say goodbye or what?" I stated, turning to look at him. I'd figured it all out in my head already. If he was gonna be so frickin' deadfast on staying with his Trainer Chick, there's no way we'd be able to keep up on our friendship. 'Cause she'll be gone and he'll be gone with her, but me, I wasn't going anywhere. And so the whole conclusion to all this crap would be, 'Goodbye, Pooch'. I was just being blunt about it. As usual.  
  
Pooch just paused for a little, as if trying to figure out what the heyball I was talking about. Finally I think he got it. "I dunno. I guess. If you're still not willing to come with us."  
  
Suddenly I felt myself about to strangle him. Just from the suggestion that I _might_ wanna go. But I kept my cool. Well mostly, anyway. My tongue sharpened itself a few notches. "Pooch, why're you even going along with this? Why're you..._humiliating_ yourself now? Bein' a pet puppy dog to some...half-grown Trainer Clone human girl?"  
  
"Half-grown Trainer Clone," he said, smirking slightly. "You're a poet and didn't know it."  
  
"Very funny." I wasn't smiling at all.  
  
"Okay," he said, smirk fading. I think he knew he had bad timing with that one. "I knew you were gonna say something like that," he replied. "I dunno why, Lady. I wish I could explain. But..."  
  
And then it was one of those 'buts' with a _long_ pause. I waited for him to finish. Very impatiently, I might add...because I wanted to smack him after he finished his sentence. 'Cause what kinda crappy excuse was that?? 'I dunno, I can't explain...'  
  
"...I guess...it's just one of those things you hafta see for yourself," he said.  
  
Okay, so I didn't smack him. But it was still a lame and predictable finish. "Well, hel-lo Pooch, I _have_ seen it for myself, remember? I spent about half an hour in the custody of your Trainer Chick!"  
  
"But see, that was only half an hour."  
  
"Well it was long enough for me."  
  
"You haven't spent any real time with her. Any personal time."  
  
"And what difference would that make??"  
  
"Plenty."  
  
So the magic formula was supposed to be, spend a little time with a Trainer Clone, and presto! Just like that, I'll wanna be a Pokeslave. I jumped to a counter-argument.  
  
"And what if I just didn't like the bitch?" I shrugged.  
  
Inside, I was laughing to myself. If this were on some TV show or fanfic story or something, I might've thought I was hilarious. But here in reality...well, sort of...and with no audience other than Pooch, I could see that I'd just spat some serious acid in his face.  
  
His fur bristled, and his voice deepened. "You don't have to like her," he growled, "but if you'd even given her a chance, maybe you'd see things differently."  
  
Suddenly all my sense of humor was gone too. "Fat chance," I spat.  
  
"Fine then," he said.  
  
Silence fell between us. Fuming, sullen silence. I tried to think of something else to say. If we kept quiet too long, the conversation would probably die right there. He'd go back to the stupid P.C., crawl in bed with his damned Trainer Chick, and that'd be it. And I may never see him again. Didn't want it to end like this. 


	8. seg eight

warning: language gets a little harsher in this chap. the pg-13 rating's not for nothin'. ^^;;  
  
--------------------------  
  
lurrien  
  
seg 8  
  
I don't think the next thing I said helped matters any.  
  
"Pooch, you act like you've been brainwashed."  
  
I've never been a very tactful Poochyena.  
  
"Thank you, you're too kind," Pooch half-snarled at me.  
  
"Don't you remember our promise to each other?" I said. That promise I mentioned earlier in this story, if you remember. If you don't, too bad.  
  
"Yeah," he said.  
  
"They why you wanna go back on it?!?"  
  
Pooch just got quiet, and didn't say anything else. Sat down on his rump and stared off into space, away from me. I waited and waited, but, he didn't say nothin'.  
  
Finally I was gettin' ready to tell him, 'Fine, you do as you like, see if I care,' and stomp off angrily, but I couldn't make myself do it right off. Mostly 'cause I was afraid I'd start bawling in front of Pooch as I said it. 'Cause hey, he was still my friend, and I didn't wanna lose him. But neither was I gonna start gettin' all weepy in front of him. Typical female crap. Not me.  
  
But anyway, before I could say anything, he finally spoke up.  
  
"I've thought about ya a lot Lady...the past few days, on nights like this. Just lyin' awake next to Kezhaly and wonderin'...what would you think of me now? I'd turned away from the free life. Or gone forward in a different direction, depending how you see it. But I never would've known...what it was really like. Being a human's Pokemon. Until I had experienced it for myself. Not that I wanted to, mind you. I wasn't given a choice. But she captured me, and then...immediately...took care of me. Like I was her own little pup. She didn't just _use_ me, like how I thought all trainers did. She wasn't demanding. She didn't make me fight battles just 'cause she wanted. That I did on my own. I fought for her 'cause I respected her...and she respected me. It's more than just slavery." He shrugged morosely. "Maybe it's...the way it's supposed to be."  
  
He didn't convince me of crap.  
  
"But you're not free," I said quietly.  
  
"I don't feel like a slave," he sighed. "I still feel free, and I can still do what I want. She doesn't--"  
  
"Yeah and earlier you didn't know if it was okay, you comin' out at night by yourself."  
  
He turned to look at me. "I didn't wanna worry her. By just disappearing like that."  
  
"Uh-huh." I made sure to sound very unconvinced.  
  
"Anyway, I _am_ out now, aren't I? Which, really...I oughta be getting back soon." He shot a glance at the P.C., which was some distance away from us, thank goodness. I hated being near the thing.  
  
But, I didn't want him to leave.  
  
So can anybody explain to me why I said something like this?  
  
"Fine. Go then."  
  
Well, I didn't say it very politely. Matter of fact I turned my back on him.  
  
"Don't be like that, Lady. I told her I wouldn't be gone long."  
  
"You what?" I said, turning my head slightly.  
  
"Kezhaly. I told her I wouldn't be gone very long."  
  
"Whaddya mean you _told_ her?!? She's a human! She can't understand crap you say!!" As I said that I got up and got nose-to-nose with him, not exactly a friendly gesture. I dunno why. Guess I was just getting really pissed at him.  
  
Pooch frowned at me. "Maybe you don't know what she can and can't do."  
  
"Aw, piss off. You're not gonna tell me she has magical powers are ya?"  
  
Pooch laughed. "What's she need magical powers for when she's got _friendship_?"  
  
I glowered at him. "Being her damn friend doesn't mean she can speak Pokemon, Pooch."  
  
"Boy, you are thick! You really don't think Pokemon and humans can understand each other in other ways?"  
  
"Hell no!"  
  
He paused. "No, I guess you wouldn't, would you. I wish you could, though."  
  
"Why? So she can tell me that she wants to own me, and so I can tell her to fuck off?!?"  
  
"I guess, if you want! But why am I arguing with you?? It'll never happen! You're so pissy about the whole thing you'll never give her a chance!!"  
  
"That's right!!"  
  
We glared at each other harshly. Brick wall. Going around in circles. Frickin' impasse. You take your pick. All the hell I knew was that we were starin' at each other from across a gulf that neither one of us could cross.  
  
It was Pooch's glare, though, that softened up first.  
  
"Well...then I guess I just oughta go," he said. Then he turned towards the P.C., and started to walk away.  
  
I had a sudden sneaking suspicion. Probably wasn't true, but I said it anyway just to needle Pooch. "Is that the only reason you came out here, then?? Just to talk me into being a cronie like you?!"  
  
He stopped. "No. I came out here 'cause you're my friend. And I just..." He trailed off, like as if he couldn't think of what else to say. Which I guess was true, 'cause he finished with, "...I dunno."  
  
Well, the friend thing got me. Softened me, that is. "You're my friend too," I admitted, though pretty grudgingly, because at the moment I would've rather beat the crap outta him and knock some sense back into his head instead. "But I don't understand why you're....turning your back on me."  
  
"Lady...." he sighed, "...you can still come along, you know. It's not the end of the world. And she's not gonna treat you like garbage. You've met her. She's not a monster."  
  
"I don't care. I'm gonna be free. Unlike you."  
  
"I'm still free."  
  
"No you're not. You have to go back to your master."  
  
"She's my friend."  
  
"Some friend. She isn't your equal. She's not a Pokemon."  
  
"She doesn't have to be."  
  
"Whatever. Just go. Go back to her, and lie at her feet. And keep her bed warm."  
  
Pooch sighed again, and slowly walked away.  
  
Without saying goodbye. Or even, 'See ya later'.  
  
I watched him all the way into the P.C. "Yeah, just go..." I said. "...and leave me all alone."  
  
And I didn't think I was gonna start bawling. It just caught me off guard. Good thing Pooch wasn't there. Crying and sobbing my eyes out, like some stupid overemotional female. Embarrassing. Took me a while to get through it, too...longer than I would've thought. Guess I just never felt so alone. Never imagined that I'd lose my closest friend. He wasn't the same...he'd never be the same. He may as well have been gone for good. 


End file.
